Features

Since his days as a firefighter for the city of Lancaster, local businessman Gonzie Mackey has been in the middle of bicycle sprockets, handle bars and kickstands this time of year.

Mackey and the brothers of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church repair and recondition used bicycles to give to children as Christmas gifts.

But this year, it’s been a little different. Mackey said There aren’t enough bicycles to go around.

“Last year, we had bikes lined up as far as you could see,” Mackey said.

Derrick Stogner is only 14 years old.

But when it comes to Fraser firs, he already knows more than I ever will.

Derrick, a member of Boy Scout Troop 180 and a freshman at Buford High School, knew exactly what Ronny Faile and I were looking for when we stopped by the troop’s Christmas tree lot Tuesday evening.

That live tree is now decked and visible from the window of Lakewood Christian Church on Kershaw Camden Highway.

Christmas cactuses may be in short supply at some stores this year, but they aren’t on Jean Boatright’s closed-in back porch.

And no matter how hard her husband, Jerry, tries, he just can’t get away from them.

Some may think Jean has gone a little overboard in her admiration of the tropical-type plants, but not Jerry. It’s just fine with him.

Cows and other livestock have become more protective of their new offspring while cattlemen say they’ve seen foot tracks similar to that of a canine. But they don’t believe stray dogs are to blame.

They say the answer lies in the coyotes, which are being talked about more and more as local sightings increase.

A number of Lancaster County residents have reported spotting coyotes in the area recently. However, wildlife officials say their presence is nothing new and that people should expect to continue seeing them.

It’s hard for LaDonna Mann to remember what life was like before she learned about the plight of thousands of orphans in the African nation of Kenya.

As curator of the JAARS Museum of the Alphabet in Waxhaw, Mann spends her days informing the public about the varied histories of alphabets and languages. But she experienced another language firsthand several years ago while living with her late husband Bill in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

In 1942, Winston Churchill said that tea was more important than ammunition in strengthening the moral of British troops.

Tea didn’t hurt Uncle Sam’s war efforts, either, said Betty Broome.

Broome, who was a youngster during World War II, still recalls how women in Van Wyck would hold afternoon teas to raise money.

When it comes to saving money, every little bit helps and there is a little good news for consumers this Thanksgiving.

You may have noticed it while standing in the grocery checkout line.

According to a report released by the American Farm Bureau Federation on Nov. 12,  the cost of preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner – the turkey, stuffing cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings – won’t be as high this year. 

Ashley Faulkenberry has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

“Words can’t describe just how thankful I am,” she said. “I’m thankful just to be alive.”

Seriously injured in a 4-wheeler accident on May 30, this is one holiday that  Ashley, 21, never thought she would see.

What was billed as a late night of fun and mud-slinging with friends off Spirit Road in the Rich Hill community quickly became a nightmare.

For many people, gardening provides an inner solace that helps maintain balance in an otherwise hectic world. It provides an escape into nature where yards take on the unique personality of the gardener.

It’s those personal touches in Jean Wilson’s yard at 2239 Sunshine Road that caught the eye of Joyce Morin of the Lancaster Garden Club. The club named Wilson’s yard the November Yard of the Month.